Most
straight-to-DVD releases are rubbish, but this 2008 horror thriller is an
exception to the rule . . .

An office drone and slacker
(Chris Marquette) wakes up to find himself wrapped up in some sort of
cocoon. Seconds after freeing himself he is attacked by a giant over-sized
insect, which he manages to chase off. After freeing some of his fellow
co-workers who have also been cocooned, he and the newly formed group
discovered that their entire city has been taken over by the alien bugs.

In addition to the ones
they have already faced there also some nasty flying ones as well as
spider/human hybrid creatures. Their lives not only become a struggle to
survive but also to figure out a way to destroy the bugs? nest on the
outskirts of town . . .

Infestation was made
on a shoestring budget of $5 million, but you'd never guess it: the script
is fast-paced and production values (special effects, cinematography, music,
etc.) are pretty decent too. Sure, its lack of budget comes apparent in the
somewhat underwhelming scenes of city-wide destruction, but the truth is
that Infestation ? while not an instant classic of the giant bug
genre ? is much more enjoyable than a lot of more expensive movies out
there.

The movie's biggest asset
is its sheer energy. The pacing is brisk and the movie never bores. It does
all this without skimping on characterization or resorting to the sort of
breakneck editing and other cheap tricks that hack film-makers such as
Michael Bay resort to. It does however never explain the origin of the giant
bugs (genetic experiment gone wrong? radiation? invaders from outer space?).
Not that it really matters one supposes.

WORTH IT?
Infestation is the rare accident. It is the sort of DVD rental you'll be
taking a chance on because the bigger titles are out and will be pleasantly
surprised by it. It has its flaws (the under-populated city, some
occasionally dodgy acting, losing some cohesion at times), but it's a brisk,
fast-paced action / horror / sci-fi effort that always manages to entertain.